Gods and Monsters
by Rosefinch97
Summary: In the Land of Gods and Monsters, I was an angel...' They say the future is set. No changing it, no matter how horrible it may be. A young mutant with the ability to predict these events joins the X-men to help to stop Sebastian Shaw. But she's hiding a dark secret that she must overcome. Having lived in isolation for years, will she be able to overcome the barriers in her way?
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey! Since my exams have finished, I've decided to start a new story! For those who have read my other story, don't worry, I'll be updating soon! Okay, so for my second fanfiction, I have decided to write a Havoc/OC story, cos he hasn't got nearly enough. Depending on how well received it is will depend on how often I update. I've got about seven chapters written so far? Special thanks to Maddie Rose, who gave excellent feedback on this! So please, read and tell me what you think! P.S. there's a few X-men trilogy references in here, see if you can spot them!**_

_**Disclaimer - I own nothing but my OC's!**_

* * *

_In the land of gods and monsters,  
I was an angel.  
Living in the garden of evil,  
Screwed up, scared, doing anything that I needed.  
Shining like a fiery beacon_

_**- **Gods and Monsters, Lana Del Rey, Paradise Edition_

* * *

_**Chapter One**_

Two men entered the small and shabby all night diner. It was mostly empty, save from the bored looking waitress behind the counter, and a few customers doted round the diner. The taller of the two men wrinkled his nose in disgust while the smaller man looked round.

"Well then, Charles," Erik Lehnsherr said. "Where is she?"

"She's here, Erik," Charles Xavier replied, his eyes studying the room. "Just have patience."

Erik sighed and he too looked round the room. From the bored look on his face, it was clear that he was unimpressed by the other customers, one of which was supposedly a mutant.

"What are we looking for this time?" He asked, not looking at Charles.

"I'm not entirely too sure," Charles confessed.

Erik scoffed.

"So the kid's machine didn't work this time? How are you even sure that this mutant's even here?"

"She's here, Erik. Have a little faith in me," Charles mused, smirking slightly.

"Whatever. I'm going to get a drink," Erik said before stalking off towards the counter.

Charles rolled his eyes slightly and sat down in an empty booth, near to the door. He sighed, and rubbed his temples, trying to find the girl. She was definitely close, Charles could tell from her surroundings. Sighing again, he focused on the thoughts of the other customers, trying to channel them to find who he was looking for. With his eyes closed, he didn't see the person slide into the seat opposite him until they spoke.

"It's you, isn't it?"

Charles opened his eyes to see a young woman sitting across from him. Well, he said woman but really she was only a teenager, eighteen at the most. Her light brown hair hung in soft curls, stopping just below her shoulders and her blue eyes sparkled in the light.

"I'm sorry, can I help you?" Charles asked, trying to read her mind. The girl just smiled sweetly.

"You are looking for me, aren't you? Just like how right now, you're trying to read my mind," She stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"How do you know that?" Charles asked, curious at the fact that he couldn't read her mind.

Instead of answering, the girl just smiled widely.

"You're clever, work it out. When you think about it, it's really quite obvious."

Charles' eyes narrowed in confusion. Again, he tried to find her thoughts and again he found nothing.

"I can't read your mind…You're mutation is mind based, almost like a shield," Charles said, trailing off.

Yet again, the girl just smiled.

"That's one of them," She said.

"You mean there's more to your mutation?" Charles asked and she nodded. "What is it?"

She simply smiled mischievously and looked over to where Erik was stood at the bar.

"In two minutes, the waitress will leave the room, taking three empty cups with her. The man over by the window will get up without paying his bill and knock over his chair. Your friend, Erik, will come over with-" She closed her eyes for a second, her face crinkling in thought. "-a beer. German beer. Strange choice but hey."

Charles looked at her, eyebrows raised in wonder.

"Oh, come on," The girl said, sensing his disbelief. "You can read minds. Trust me on this."

She turned to face the counter, so her back was to Charles. Giving her the benefit of the doubt, Charles leaned over so that he could see the bar. Sure enough, the young waitress with the bored expression picked up three empty mugs and headed through the door that led to the kitchen. As soon as she left, the shifty looking man who was sitting by the window stood up, and quickly tried to leave the diner but he tripped over a chair leg. After quickly recovering, he quickly left, his face flushed. Charles watched in awe as everything the girl predicted came true. Finally, Erik walked back over, glass in hand, sour look on his face.

"Four dollars for a pint, disgraceful…" He muttered, sitting down next to Charles. He didn't look up so did not see the girl sitting across the booth from him, or the amazed and curious look on Charles' face.

"Erik," Charles said. "I found her."

This caused Erik to look up. His eyes looked over the girl, making a mental note of how young she looked.

"So, what can you do?" Erik asked, a little abruptly. Instead of being taken back, the girl just smiled again.

"I'll show you," She said, holding up her hand and nodding at it, indicating for him to touch it. Erik warily held up is hand and slowly touched the palm of the girl's hand. As soon as he did, the girl inhaled sharply and her eyes closed. Erik looked towards Charles, who simply offered a smile. After about ten seconds, the girl's eyes fluttered up, and her hand shot back.

"Your name is Erik Lehnsherr. You were sent to Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944 where you were separated from your parents. You have the ability to manipulate metal and you met Charles here when you jumped in to the sea to try and crush-" She paused for a second, pressing two fingers to her temple. "Sebastian Shaw's submarine. After that you joined him in going to the CIA and are now trying to recruit other mutants." She finished with a small smile.

Erik was stunned. He look at Charles with a slightly bewildered look, then at the girl, then back to Charles. Charles simply sat there, smug grin on his face while the girl sat and grinned mischievously.

"I told you she was here," Charles said.

Mouth slightly ajar, Erik looked towards Charles.

"Ok then, you win."

"So then," Charles said, turning to the girl. "What is your mutation?"

"In a nutshell? Precognition and post cognition. I can see people's pasts and futures. I can see the future just through my mind but I have to touch a person to see their past," The girl explained.

"How can I not read your mind?" Charles asked.

"Mental shield," The girl said simply. "It means that while you could speak to me telepathically, you wouldn't be able to read my mind unless I lowered the shield."

"Can you?"

The girl shrugged.

"Probably. I don't know, I've never really needed to."

Charles nodded and looked at Erik.

"I suppose you know why we're here?" Erick asked. The girl nodded.

"Yes. You want me to come with you, so that you can stop Sebastian Shaw from starting a war between America and Russia," She said, with a frosty tone to her voice.

"That's not all," Charles said, causing the girl to look at him in question. "We can provide you with a home, security, a family. You won't have to be alone."

"Who says I'm alone?" She said sharply.

"Then who…." Erik asked. The girl's expression softened.

"Aiden…My kid brother…" She muttered.

"Is he?"

"Like us? Yeah."

"What is his mutation?" Charles asked.

"Hydrokinesis," The girl said.

"Ah, the ability to manipulate water," Charles commented.

"Yeah, that's what it is. He sometimes has trouble controlling it, but I think that's mostly due to his age."

"How old is he?"

"Aiden? He's fourteen," The girl answered, fiddling with her sleeve.

"And how old are you?"

"Seventeen. But, Aiden, he's just a kid. I don't want him involved in anything that could be dangerous."

"Understood," Erik nodded. "Where is he?"

"Washington. He's staying with a….friend of mine."

"Right then," Charles said. "Shall we?"

The girl smiled, a genuine smile. They all stood up and began to walk towards the door, the girl in the front.

"Wait," Charles said, causing the girl to turn back to look at him. "We don't even know your name."

The girl smiled.

"It's Lyndsey. My name is Lyndsey Pryde."

* * *

"You didn't mention the whole 'government facility' situation," Lyndsey said, looking wearily at the military base. She stood in between Charles and Erik, looking at the base with mistrust. Charles and Erik shared a questioning glance at each other, before Charles place a hand on Lyndsey's shoulder.

"Is everything alright?" He asked.

"Yes, yes, everything's fine. Just….bad experience, that's all," She replied quickly. "Are we going in?"

She hurried forward, leaving the two men in her wake. Erik turned to Charles.

"Are you sure you can't read her mind? It would come in handy around about now," Erik said, his eyes flickering to the back of Lyndsey's head.

Charles sighed.

"I've tried but she definitely has some form of mental shield on her thoughts," He replied. He was still in awe of the young girl's power to see the future, and how she could completely block Charles' attempts to read her mind without even trying. She was powerful, there was no denying that.

"There's something…off about her," Erik said. "Like she's not telling us everything."

"Well, you are hardly the most open person, now are you Erik?" Charles said, smiling slightly at Erik's pursed expression. "Give her time, she'll open up."

Erik a noise that sounded halfway between a grunt and a sigh but followed Charles as he walked towards the girl.

_Is everything alright?_

Lyndsey turned round to look at Charles, who stood there with a concerned look on his face. It felt strange for Lyndsey, she'd never really had someone look at her like that. Well, with the exception of Aiden, but she thought that didn't really count. She was always the one taking care of him. But the way Charles looked at her, was almost…fatherly. She quickly nodded her head, ridding it of her previous thoughts.

_Everything's fine. It's just, you could say, I've simply had bad experiences with the Government, that's all._

_Would you like to talk about it?_

_Maybe. But not now. I think Erik's getting a bit annoyed at being left out of the mental loop. And someone's coming anyway_.

Charles looked away from Lyndsey's blue eyes to Erik, who stood there, with a questioning look on his face. Lyndsey looked between the two, wondering if they were having a mental conversation between them two selves. From the nods from Charles and the eye darting from Erik, Lyndsey assumed they were.

"Sorry to interrupt," She said, stepping in between them. "But I think your friend Moria's on her way. And I think it's quite urgent."

Just as Lyndsey said that, Agent Moria McTaggert walked round the corner, nearly bumping into Charles. The auburn haired woman was dressed formally and smiled politely ay Lyndsey.

"Charles, Erik, you're back," She said. "And who's this?"

"Moria, this is Lyndsey Pryde. Lyndsey, this is Agent Moria McTaggert. She was the one who made this all possible," Charles explained, a hint of pride in his voice. Lyndsey smiled and politely shook Moria's outstretched hand.

"Nice to meet you," Lyndsey smiled. Moria returned the smile before turning to Charles.

"Charles, Erik, we're needed for a briefing," She said.

"Okay then. Lyndsey, I'll introduce you to everyone," Charles said, looking over towards Lyndsey. Lyndsey suddenly tensed, pulling her sleeves over her knuckles.

_What if they don't like me?_ She thought._ I haven't had a lot of experience with people my age._

_They'll love you_, Charles assured her. _They're like you, they'll understand._

Although she still looked a bit uncertain, Lyndsey nodded. Charles smiled reassuringly.

"Come on then," He said. "Time for you to meet everyone."

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_**Please review**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Okay then, good response rate! 4 Favs and 7 follows! That's great! Anyway, hope you all enjoy this chapter. Read and review!**_

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_We live in cities you'll never see on-screen_  
_Not very pretty but we sure know how to run free_  
_Living' in ruins of the palace within my dreams_  
_And you know we're on each other's team_

_- Team, Lorde, Pure Heroine_

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_**Chapter Two**_

Lyndsey sat on the sofa, glass of cola in hand. Whatever nervousness she had previously had vanished, replaced with a sense of warmth and welcoming. The other young mutants seemed as nervous as she had been, but they had quickly bonded. Lyndsey was sat next to Raven, Charles' sister, on the edge of the sofa. Hank, a tall - slightly nervous- looking mutant, dressed in a jumper, shirt, and thick framed glasses sat on the other side of Raven.

On the sofa opposite of the three, sat Darwin and Angel. Darwin was easily the oldest (and tallest) of all the mutants; lanky with dark skin and wide eyes. Angel, a small, coffee coloured skinned mutant with shiny black hair sat next to Darwin. She wore a black halter neck dress, with a leather jacket and knee-high boots that Lyndsey could never pull off. It worked for Angel though.

Next to the sofa were two chairs. On the first, sat Sean. He was pale and freckled, with a mop of red hair. On the second, sat Alex, a blonde, handsome looking man who had an aura of broodiness around him.

It was Raven who Lyndsey had met first. The blond girl had quickly welcomed Lyndsey into the group, offering her a drink and complimenting her appearance. Lyndsey hadn't thought much of her appearance, tending to spend what little money she had on essentials. Because of this, a lot of her clothes were second-hand and threadbare. Her outfit today consisted of a blue graphic shirt, jeans with a large buckle belt, a grey jacket, worn out sneakers and her old stripy scarf her mother had knitted her as a child. Her father's army dog tags hung round her neck, with the name 'Pryde' imprinted on it. Every so often, Lyndsey's hand would unconsciously drift to them, reassuring her that they were there. Never the less, Raven still liked it, calling it 'cute'.

They were all sat in recreational room of the government facility, with a large glass windows on either side of the room, one which overlooked a courtyard outside. There was a small bar area on the far side of the room, where the mini-fridge Raven had gotten the bottle of cola from. A pinball machine was pushed against the far wall, near to it was a jukebox and a dining table stood near to the window. Lyndsey vaguely remembered pinball, having played it years ago, before the _incident. _The only way in or out of the room was through a set of heavy steel doors. Lyndsey smirked slightly at this. She highly doubted they were there to protect the mutants. If anything, they were there to stop the mutants. She was very much aware of the prejudice against mutants, having experienced it first-hand. As her father used to say, people were afraid of the unknown.

"We should think of codenames," Raven said out of the blue. "We're government agents now, we should have secret codenames."

"Ok, then. What do you want to be called, Raven?" Lyndsey asked, smile on her face. It sound quite cool, having codenames. Like they were part of a secret club.

"I want to be called Mystique," She replied, smiling widely.

"Damn, I wanted to be called Mystique!" Sean said sarcastically, causing everyone to laugh.

"Well tough, I called it," Raven smiled. Blue scales covered her and a perfect copy of Sean sat in front of them, down to the last red hair. Everyone gasped in surprise and marvelled at her mutation. "And I am way more mysterious than you." The only difference between the real Sean and Raven-Sean was the voice. After a round of applause, she transformed back with a wave of blue scales and smiled proudly.

"Darwin, what about you?" Raven asked, looking over at him.

"Well, Darwin's already a nickname, you know, so it fits," He said, getting up and walking over to where a fish tank sat. "I adapt to survive, check this out."

He leant over, putting his whole head in the water, scaring the fish in the process. Gills grew on the side of his neck, and he turned to face them. All the mutants laughed and clapped at the performance, until Darwin pulled his head out and sat back down in his seat next to Angel.

"Thank you," He said, turning to face Sean. "What about you?"

"I'm going to be…Banshee," Sean said confidently.

"Why do you want to be named after a wailing spirit?" Hank asked looking confused. Sean grinned at this.

"You may want to cover your ears," He said.

Lyndsey, having had a quick look into the future, immediately clamped her hands over her ears, while the others took slightly longer. She smiled knowingly at their confused looks. Sean crouched at the edge of the coffee table, screwing his face up in concentration. After a minute, he let out an ear piercing screech which shattered the glass window opposite. The others laughed nervously, and looked at Sean in astonishment, their hands now off their ears.

"Your turn," He said to Angel. She got up and began to pull off her jacket.

"My, um, stage name is Angel," She said, causing Sean to whistle. She turned round, showing off her tattoos that covered her shoulders. "Kind of fits," She said as they peeled off of her, becoming insect like wings.

"You can fly?" Raven gasped, astonished.

"That's so cool!" Lyndsey exclaimed.

"Yep!" Angel agreed. "And-" She opened her mouth and a ball of acidic fire flew towards the statue in the courtyard. The mutants laughed and applauded at this, as Angel sat back down.

"What's your name?" She asked Hank as she pulled her jacket back on. Hank looked uncomfortable and avoided eye contact with everyone.

"How about 'Big Foot'?" Alex smirked as he sipped his cola. Angel, Sean and Darwin giggled slightly, but Raven and Lyndsey did not. Lyndsey shot Alex and annoyed glare while Raven made her irritation more vocal.

"Well, you know what they say about guys with big feet," She shot back with raised eyebrows and an annoyed expression. "And your feet are pretty small…"

Lyndsey smirked while Sean laughed. Alex, on the other hand, glowered at Raven and huffed back in his chair.

"Okay then," Darwin said, trying to calm things down before a fight started. "Alex, what is your gift?"

"It's not…I…um…I just can't do it. I can't do it in here…" Alex said, looking down.

"Can you do it out there?"

"Why don't you just do it out there?" Raven asked.

"Come on, you can do it!" Sean encouraged.

"Alex," Angel began to chant. Raven, Darwin and Sean quickly joined in. "Alex, Alex, Alex!"

Lyndsey stayed quiet, however. Alex, very much like Hank, was clearly not confident with his mutation. She concluded that was why he had made fun of Hank, picking on someone who was even less confident than himself.

Reluctantly, Alex got to his feet, placing his drink on the table and walking towards the broken window and into the courtyard. He stepped over the glass, and everyone jumped to their feet to follow.

"Get down when I tell you," Alex said, with a dark expression. Lyndsey, Angel, Raven, Sean and Darwin, who were all peering out of the window, leant back, but looked back again within seconds.

"Get back," Alex said, with more force in his tone this time. However, none of the mutants did. "Whatever…"

He swung his body and three red discs appeared around him, positioned at different angles. The first one swung towards the tree, the second over the roof. The last one, however, sliced through the statue of the man, clearly through his middle, leaving smoke in its wake. Lyndsey, who was standing in the front because of her height, ducked back in to avoid the blasts. When the third blast hit the statue, all the mutants inside, Lyndsey included, applauded loudly, Raven and Angel jumping up and down in excitement.

_Flaming hula hoops of death,_ Lyndsey thought. _Pretty cool._ In her thoughts, she was reminded of John, and the time he'd… _No, I can't think about that. I have to be strong, for Aiden's sake._

Deep in thought, she didn't notice Alex come up to her and place his hand on her shoulder.

"Everything alright?" He asked, dark expression replaced with a more confident one.

"Yes, yes, everything's fine," She smiled back, trying to hide her sad thought.

"So, Lyndsey, what can you do?" Darwin asked as they sat back down. Lyndsey grinned wickedly.

"Well, to show you my mutation, I need a volunteer," She said.

"What, are you a magician?" Sean joked. "You going to saw one of us in half?"

"Congratulations, Sean, you just volunteered yourself," Lyndsey grinned, standing up and walking over the where he was sat. There was a confused, and slightly scared look on his face.

"What?! But- That's not far!" He exclaimed.

"Don't worry," Lyndsey said. "It won't hurt….much," She added.

Still grinning, she held up her hand and wiggled her fingers. Sean looked round the room at the other mutants, pleading for one of them to take his place.

"Come on, Sean, man up!" Alex exclaimed, causing Lyndsey to turn and face him.

"Keep that in mind. You're next," She said before turning back to Sean. "He's right though. Hurry up!"

Warily, Sean pressed his index finger on Lyndsey's palm. As always, she gasped and her eyes snapped shut. The other mutants watched with concerned looks as Lyndsey seemed to mutter something under her breath. After a few seconds, her eyes snapped back open.

"'You like fish, I like fish, let's grab a bite'? That's the best you could come up with? My _fourteen _year old brother can think of better chat up lines than that!" Lyndsey exclaimed.

Sean sat there, mouth wide in disbelief.

"Shut your mouth, you'll catch flies," Lyndsey said, sitting back down.

"I'm sorry, what's your mutation?" Darwin asked, as he and the other mutants looked between the two.

"She saw my past!" Sean exclaimed, pointing at Lyndsey, who simply smiled.

"Yep," She said.

"So you can see people's pasts?" Hank asked.

"Past, present, future," Lyndsey smiled. "I can see the general future in my head but for people's specific futures, or pasts, I have to touch them. But it can change, depending on their decisions."

"Wow," Raven said softly. All the mutants looked at Lyndsey in awe, causing the girl to blush slightly.

"Can you read my future?" Angel asked eagerly and wide-eyed.

"Sorry, for reading the future, I only get visions every so often. They often happen at random," Lyndsey explained. Angel looked a bit disheartened but quickly recovered with a smile.

"It's fine," She replied.

"Where are you from?" Darwin asked. "We all said where we came from before you got here."

"I'm from Salem, Massachusetts, born and bred," Lyndsey said proudly. Raven frowned slightly.

"But I thought Charles and Erik found you in Michigan?"

Lyndsey shrugged.

"I fancied a change of scenery."

"Witch," Alex said quietly. They all turned to look at him. "You should be called Witch, considering where you're from."

Lyndsey smiled slightly and nodded, with a distant look in her eye.

"Yeah, Witch. I like it."

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**_Please review_**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Back again with another update. Firstly, I want to say a big thank you anyone who have fav'ed or followed. You are so great! As this is being published, there has been over 200 views! Wicked! I'm really pleased with the response rate, although I would like a couple of reviews. But, hey, not complaining. Anyway, please read, review and enjoy!_**

* * *

_And I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda sad_

_The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had_

_I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take_

_When people run in circles it's a very very _

_Mad world_

_- Mad World, Tears for Fears, The Hurting_

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Chapter Three

Lyndsey giggled as she watched Alex and Sean throwing chair and other pieces of furniture at Darwin, trying to see if anything could break through his skin. Each time something made contact with Darwin's skin, however, his skin turn to rock and appeared unbreakable.

Hank was hanging from the ceiling light by his feet, thanks to his mutation. He hand been like that for more than an hour, trying to see how long he could hold on for. The whole room was trashed, the product of seven mutant teenagers running wild. Raven stood on the overturned couch cushions dancing away, drink in hand. Lyndsey was only thankful it was cola, for Raven and alcohol must cause more mayhem than there already was. Angel hovered near to Raven, dancing mid-air to the music coming from the jukebox.

Lyndsey, however, was not partying like the rest of the young mutants. Not because she was 'boring' as some might say, but because she was unsure on how to party. For a long time, it and only been her and Aiden, so she had to grow up quickly. So, instead of partying with the other teenagers, she sat on the couch and observed their antics, flicking through the pages of Raven's 'Cosmo' magazine. Every so often, her eyes flickered down to her grey backpack that sat by her feet, in reassurance that is was there. She didn't have much so most of her belongings had fit in to the bag. Not that any of her belongings were valuable, they were more sentimental than anything. Mostly what she had managed to grab before…

She shook her head out of her thoughts. She couldn't think about it. They would want her to move on. But the more she tried to not think about it, the more she did.

The anniversary was coming up. Five years in only a few weeks. It seemed like millenniums, time had passed so slowly. Now longer was she that scared twelve-year-old, but a fully grown seventeen year old who had a fourteen year old to look after and some unspecified war to fight in against some sociopathic mutant.

"Come on, Lyndsey!" Raven said, picking up her hand. "Let loose!"

Lyndsey laughed but got up and joined Raven in her dance on the sofa. Raven grinned and danced away as Lyndsey began to dance too. How long had it been since she had danced? It felt good to relax, spin and sway her body around letting all the tension loose. Unfortunately for her, she had picked the worse time too.

"What are you doing?!" The angry (and surprisingly loud) voice of Moria McTaggert cut across the room like a knife.

Almost immediately, everyone had stopped dead in their tracks, facing the woman who stood outside the broken window angrily. Someone turned the music off. Alex put the chair back down. Raven and Lyndsey stepped off the couch while Hank jumped back to the ground, as did Angel. Darwin turned back to skin and bones instead of rock. All of the teenaged mutants stood there, like toddlers being told off. Erik and Charles materialised out of nowhere, flanking Moria with disgraced looks.

"Who destroyed the statue?" Moria demanded, looking back at the sliced-in-half statue. Alex looked down in shame.

"It was Alex," Hank said quickly. He clearly was a bad liar and could not keep that big of a secret. Alex shot him an annoyed look but looked back at the floor, head hanging in shame.

"No, it's Havok! We have to call him Havok now, that's his codename!" Raven exclaimed, walking toward the shattered window pane. Lyndsey groaned internally. _No, Raven, _she thought, _don't make it any worse than it already is._ Despite Lyndsey's internal willing, Raven ploughed on.

"And we were thinking, you should be Professor X," She said, pointing at Charles. "And you should be Magneto!" Raven finished, pointing at Erik.

"Exceptional," Erik muttered dryly, shaking his head. He, along with Charles and Moria, were clearly disappointed with the young mutants, probably having just been trying to justify bring a bunch of teenagers in to a top-secret Government facility. Lyndsey felt dirty, Charles was trying to give her a new life and her she was, acting like a disgraceful hooligan. She thought her parents had raised her better than that. They would be ashamed if they saw her now.

Erik stalked off while Raven's previously proud expression faded. Charles stared at her for a little longer.

"I expect more from you," He said to her, disappointment clear in his voice. His eyes were heavy and a few tears of unhappiness whelmed in the corners. He too walked off, closely followed by Moria, leaving seven ashamed teenagers in their wake.

* * *

A few hours later, once the window had been repaired and the room tided up, the young mutants sat in near silence. The looks of the window repair men had already been enough to guilt them even further and what they were. That, and the fact they muttered under their breath how _abnormal _mutants where was enough to make nearly all the mutants want to punch them.

Raven and Angel sat on one sofa, Sean and Hank on the other, while Lyndsey and Darwin stood by Alex, who was playing pinball.

"Jesus, man, you are killing me," Darwin said as Alex score quickly increased.

"You're still doing better than me," Lyndsey mumbled. Her score had been so low, they all thought she was losing on purpose.

"Yeah. How are you so bad at pinball?" Darwin asked. Lyndsey shrugged and quickly replied;

"Guess you could say I haven't had a lot of time for playing pinball."

"Yeah, but even then, you can't have been that bad," Alex said, not looking up. He kept his eyes focused on the machine, grinning as his score increased.

"I haven't played pinball in a long time," Lyndsey sighed, walking over towards the sofa.

"And why's that?" Alex called, but Lyndsey pretended not to hear him. She didn't need anyone knowing about her private life. It was private for a reason.

Alex and Darwin returned to their game, Alex muttering something about having lots of free time. Lyndsey sat down next to Raven, who offered her a kind smile. Just as she did, two C.I.A agents walked past the window, dressed in the signature black suits.

"I didn't know the circus was in town," The first said, staring at the teenagers. The other laughed.

"Hey, come on, honey," The second said to Angel. "Give us a little..." The man then wiggled his body, trying to do a poor impression of Angel's mutation. Said girl simply glared at the two, but they were not put off.

"What about you, Sweet cheeks?" The first said, this time to Lyndsey. "You gonna do a bit of palm reading? See my future? Where's your crystal ball?"

Lyndsey reddened, a mix of humiliation, embarrassment and anger. She was used to being subjected to idiot's views on mutants, but it still got to her. She thought that wouldn't happen here, that they wouldn't be treated like second class citizens.

"No? Come on, let's see the foot," They this time said to Hank, who had gotten up, stony expression on his face, and began to walk towards the window. "There it is. Come on, Big Foot, let's go," Hank went to closed the curtain, which blocked the agents from view, but unfortunately not from hearing. "Hey. Hey, come on. Hey," The agents protested, but soon got bored and moved on.

Lyndsey smiled slightly at Hank, who nodded in understanding.

"They're just guys being stupid," Raven said soothingly, more to Angel as she looked more troubled by it.

"Guys being stupid, I can handle," Angel said, with a bit more force than was needed. "I've handled that my whole life. But I'd rather a bunch of guys stare at me with my clothes off than the way these ones stare at me."

"At us," Raven added.

"Yeah, we're a team," Lyndsey agreed, causing Angel to look up at the girl with small smile.

The five sat in silence, sipping at their drinks. After the incident, no one felt like speaking much. So, with the exception of the occasional noise of the pinball machine, the room was silent, until Raven spoke;

"How old are you, Lyndsey?" She asked.

"I'm seventeen, why?" Lyndsey answered.

"Ah, so you're the baby of the group?" Sean smirked.

"I guess so," She shrugged. They returned to silence, Raven playing about with Lyndsey's hair, experimenting with different styles. If felt strange, no one had done that for a long time. Her mind drifted back into her thoughts, to the time when her mother would plait her hair at night.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a muffled thudding noise from outside. At first, she thought she had imagined it, but from the others expressions, she clearly hadn't. Another followed, only this time it was louder.

"What was that?" Darwin asked as he and Alex moved towards the others. He went to open the window and right before he did, Lyndsey's blue eyes turned silver and she had a vision. Terrible images filled her mind and just as Darwin reached the window, she snapped out of the trance.

"No! Don't open the window!" She shouted, but Darwin already had.

"Why, what's wrong?" He asked, voice full of concern.

Lyndsey simply whimpered and turned away from the window, not wanting to see what was going to happen for a second time. The others looked at her in concern but looked back outside when they heard a scream.

"What is that?" Darwin said, looking at an object in the sky. It flew down, picking up momentum until it dropped on the ground with a sickening crack. Lyndsey buried her face in her palms, allowing some strong arms to wrap round her. She heard the cries of her friends as they saw what she had seen a minute earlier. A dead agent swimming in a pool of his own blood.

Alarms began to ring and large flood lights lit up the courtyard as more bodies dropped to the ground with sickening cracks. Lyndsey released herself from the arms of Alex, who had tried to shield her from the view. Living agents, all armed with guns, filled in the courtyard. One came straight up to the window.

"Get back!" He shouted. "Get back! Do not leave that room!"

A red man appeared in the middle of the courtyard, near to where the statue was. He held two, wicked looking blades and his tail had a sharp point on the end of it. All the agents had their backs to him, so the mutants screamed at him.

"Shoot! Shoot!" They all cried, pointing at him. He grinned wickedly before teleporting all around the courtyard, slashing down agents. The window shattered from the renegade bullets that hit it. Darwin and Alex pushed the others back, shielding them from the pieces of falling glass and shrapnel. From the other window, Lyndsey could see what looked like a tornado tear up the grounds, and Hank's machine, Cerebro. Lyndsey place a hand on Hank's arm, who watched as his work was destroyed.

"Stay here, my ass! Let's go!" Darwin said, leading the mutants through the thick metal doors into winding corridors. He went first, followed by Raven, Angel and Hank, Lyndsey and Alex at the back. Lyndsey had just reached the door when her had hand subconsciously went to her back. _NO! _Lyndsey darted back, under Alex's outstretched arms.

"What are you doing?!" She heard him yell but she ignored him. She couldn't leave without it. Her hands found her backpack and she tugged it onto her back. Alex materialised in front of her, angry, yet worried expression on his face.

"What are you doing?!" He repeated. "We have to get out of here!"

He grabbed her hand and dragged her into the corridor where the others were waiting.

"Why did you go back for that?" Alex demanded. "You could have been killed!"

"I couldn't leave without it," Lyndsey mumbled, hugging the backpack. The others noted her expression sad and reminisant. She looked like a child, who refused to let go of their favourite toy.

"Come on!" Darwin said, leading the group further down the corridor, the sound of bullets spurring him into action. Alex hovered near Lyndsey, who never once realised her grip of the backpack.

The end of the corridor was blocked by agents, some of whom seemed too shocked to see them out of the room.

"Get back!" One of them shouted.

"We can help! We can help!" All the mutants shouted, but the agents simply waved them back. The sound of gunfire and a fiery explosion drove both the mutants and the agents back down the corridor, towards the room where they had came.

Once back in the room, the mutants jumped round the destroyed wreckage of tables and chairs. Lyndsey smacked her face off of Sean's shoulder, who had skidded to a stop to watch as the tornado grew bigger and moved closer towards the building. A body smashed through the window, sliding towards the mutants. Raven and Angel both shrieked, tears falling down their faces. Darwin, Sean and Hank stood in front of the girls, Darwin's arms out wide in protection. Although they weren't crying, they did look disturbed by the body. Alex dragged Lyndsey back by her waist, away from the body. Usually, Lyndsey would have flipped if anyone did this, but under the circumstances, she felt reassured by the contact.

Alex too looked disturbed by the body. He looked down at Lyndsey, who, although upset, did not look too scared at the dead body in front of her. He made a mental note to ask her about it later.

"They're here for us," Lyndsey whimpered, burying her head in Alex's jacket. The others looked at her, then back at the windows. Images flashed before her eyes, things she didn't want to remember.

_A little blonde haired girl lay on the floor, the crimson blood from her chest wound staining the floor a horrid colour. _Lyndsey squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the image.

From the window that looked out on to the courtyard, the red-skinned man with the spiked tail walked into the room, smirking. A Spanish man appearing from where the tornado had ripped up the grounds, dusting dirt of his lapel with a smug look. Lyndsey gasped and ducked further behind Alex.

_No, not him. Anyone but him. _Her grip on Alex's shoulder tightened when more gunshots sounded from behind the metal doors, quickly followed by the shouts of CIA agents.

"Wait, wait! You want the mutants? They're right through that door! Just let us _normal _people go, we're not threat-" He was quickly cut off by a gunshot, which was followed by a blood-curdling scream.

The door opened and helmeted man walked through, proud smirk on his face. He was clean shaved, wearing a pressed black suit, like many of the CIA agents were. From the way he held himself, he was clearly the leader.

"Where's the telepath?"

"Not here," The red-skinned teleporter replied, studying the group of young mutants.

"Too bad," The man said, sounding slightly disappointed. "Oh well, at least I can take this silly thing of," He said, removing the helmet and handing it to the teleporter. "My name is Sebastian Shaw, and I'm not here to hurt you."

Lyndsey scoffed and apparently he heard. His gaze fell upon the girl and his smiled wickedly.

"Why, hello again, Lyndsey,"

* * *

_**Please review!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Woo! Two reviews and more favs/follows! I hope everyone's enjoying it and looks forward to the next update. Big shout out to Felidaes' Tale and ElfenZauber, my first two reviewers! Thank you so much! So, I have loads of ideas for this story so please keep reading!**_

* * *

_Where did I go wrong?  
I lost a friend  
Somewhere along in the bitterness  
And I would have stayed up with you all night  
Had I known how to save a life_

_- How to Save a Life, The Fray_

* * *

_**Chapter Four**_

_"Daddy, Daddy!" A five-year old Lyndsey cried, running into her father's study. Dressed in a pretty blue dress, her brown hair hung in a plait down her back, she clutched her rag doll, and peered round the door. _

_Jack Pryde sat behind the mahogany desk, looking very formal in his old Air force uniform he only wore on important occasions. The room was dark, from its lack of lighting and drawn curtains._

_"Daddy, why's it so dark?" Lyndsey asked, head tilted to one side._

_"Lyndsey, what are you doing here?" Jack asked in surprise. His eyes flickered from Lyndsey, back to the figure in the chair who he'd been previously watching._

_"Robbie and John won't let me play football with them again," Lyndsey pouted. _

_Jack sighed and got up from his chair, walking over to where Lyndsey stood. He lowered himself down to his daughter's height, looking her in the eye._

_"Daddy's busy right now. He needs you to go find Mummy, help her look after Jemima, Aiden and Tora. Can you do that?" He asked. _

_Lyndsey nodded slowly but was confused. Daddy would always play games with her and her siblings, no matter what. She looked round her father's figure to the armchair next to the desk, where a figure was sat, his palms pressed together, his face pulled into an amused smirk._

_"Daddy, who's that?" Lyndsey asked curiously. The man looked scary, from the way the shadows framed his face and the way he sat._

_"It's no one, Lyndsey. Run along," Jack replied quickly._

_"Aren't you going to introduce me to your daughter, Jack?" The man smirked. "And we were getting to know each other so well."_

_Jack sighed and ran a hand through his hair._

_"Lyndsey, this is a _colleague _of mine," He said in a tense tone, using the word 'colleague' loosely. "His name is Klaus Schmidt. He was just about to leave."_

_Lyndsey looked at him, wary look in her eye. Mr Schmidt, however, did not seem put off._

_"Hello, Lyndsey," He said, face stretching in to a wicked smirk. "I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again soon."_

* * *

"Hello again, Lyndsey. I told you I'd see you again," _Shaw's _words nearly mirrored the ones he had said to her nearly twelve years earlier. Every night, the words haunted her in her dreams, scaring her in the dark abyss. He was one of the monsters under her bed, a figment of the past come back to haunt her.

Next to her, Lyndsey sensed the other mutants tense, obviously not expecting what had just happened. Alex's arm hovered near her protectively. Why though, she did not know. She'd only known Alex for a few hours so why was he protecting her.

"Freeze!" A lone CIA agent shouted from the courtyard, gun aimed for Shaw, who simply sighed.

"Azazel?" He said, raising an eyebrow. Azazel simply smirked and teleported over to the man, who he sliced down without even a flicker of remorse.

"My friends, there is a revolution coming," Shaw said, unaffected by the killing that happened only a few feet away from him. "When mankind discovers who we are, what we can do, each of us will face a choice. Be enslaved or rise up to rule. Choose freely, but know that if you are not with us, then, by definition, you are against us. So, you can stay and fight for the people who hate and fear you, or you can join me and live like kings. And queens," For the last part, he stared at Angel, who after a moment of thought, took his outstretched hand.

"Angel?" Raven murmured.

"Are you kidding me?" Sean said in disbelief.

"Come on. We don't belong here. And that's nothing to be ashamed of," Angel said, gaining confidence as she stood up proudly.

"Angel, please…" Lyndsey pleaded, looking at the girl who she called a friend.

"We shouldn't have to change. Society isn't going to except us. We shouldn't have to hide," Angel stated.

Lyndsey's face dropped, wondering what had happened to the girl she had first met. Shaw seemed to catch Lyndsey's depression.

"Come with us, Lyndsey. You out of all of us should know how humans will react to us," He said. This statement earned Lyndsey looks off of her fellow mutants but she kept her head held high.

"No. Not all humans are like that. You cannot blame a whole for thee faults of a group of individuals," Lyndsey said. Shaw shook his head and smirked.

"What would your father say if he could see you now? On the side of the people who killed him?"

"_These _people didn't kill him. They were sick, twisted individuals, not the government."

"Ah, but you're still scared," Shaw said, causing Lyndsey to break eye contact with him. He smirked. "Yes, you are. I can see it in your eyes. What would your family say, if they could see you know? Helping the people who despised them. Or have you forgotten them? Your mother? Your Father? John? Robert? Jemima? Tora?"

Lyndsey closed her eyes, but she could still feel everyone's eyes on her. Someone touched her shoulder in reassurance. Someone squeezed her hand. She knew what she had to do.

"You were no better…" She said slowly to Shaw, opening her eyes. "You wanted to experiment on us. That's why you were there. Not to help my family, but to hurt them."

Shaw's eyes narrowed but Lyndsey continued, gaining more confidence. She pushed through her friend's protective barrier, so she was stood right at the front.

"You don't care about anyone but yourself. Right now, you friend –Emma is it? – is in the custody of the US Government and you won't even lift a finger to help her. You don't care about mutant supremacy, you just want the power. Like you always have."

"I'm giving you one last chance, Lyndsey," Shaw said dangerously low.

"And I'm telling you for the last time. I will not join you. Not now, not ever, even if my life depended on it."

Shaw smirked.

"I will remember your decision then."

He turned, leading the group of mutants out into the courtyard. Raven, sensing Lyndsey's sadness, pulled her into a hug which Lyndsey was happy to receive.

"We have to do something," Raven said quietly, stroking Lyndsey's back.

Darwin turned round, quickly checking on Lyndsey, before turning to Alex. They spoke in quiet, hushed tones. He grabbed the blonde's arm and began to pull him towards the courtyard. Alex quickly shoved him off, annoyed look on his face.

"Stop," Darwin called and stepped out into the courtyard. "I'm coming with you."

"Good choice," Shaw said, his eyes briefly flickering to Lyndsey. He walked forward and met Darwin halfway. "Now, tell me about your mutation."

"Well, I adapt to survive," Darwin said. "So, I guess I'm coming with you."

Shaw nodded.

"I like that," He commented. Darwin moved to where Angel was stood. Lyndsey caught Alex's eye and from the nod of his head, she knew what to expect, just a second before it happened.

"Alex!" Darwin shouted, grabbing Angel and covering her as he turned to stone. The mutants inside, with the exception of Alex, ran out of the room. Lyndsey, however, dropped to the floor, taking cover behind the couch. Alex spun his body, sending three fiery rings towards Azazel, Shaw and Riptide. Two of them nearly hit Azazel and Riptide, but the one that nearly hit Shaw was stopped, who absorbed the energy through his skin while smirking.

"Protecting your fellow mutants," He said to Darwin, who had let go of Angel. "That's a noble gesture."

Darwin lunged forward to punch Shaw in the face, but Shaw easily blocked it. He grabbed hold of Darwin's jaw. Lyndsey got to her feet at this point, watching in horror at what she knew would happen next.

"Adapt to this," He said wickedly, producing a condensed version of Alex's rings down his throat. He walked away, taking Angel's and Azazel's hands. He sent Lyndsey one last sinister smile before teleporting away.

Lyndsey's attention was directed back to Darwin, who was desperately trying to shift his form to adapt to the surplus energy. His form shifted from skin, to metal and finally to rock. He turned to face Alex, who was stood there, horrified at what was happening. Then, as the energy destroyed him from the inside, Darwin disintegrated into dust.

He was dead.

* * *

The five teenagers sat in silence on the cold stone bench outside as agents ran round, trying to save what they could from the destroyed building. Lyndsey was sat in between Sean and Alex, curled up in a ball, knees draw up to her chest. She shivered slightly, as the morning air prickled her skin. None of the teenagers had said anything in hours, all deep in thought, Or perhaps, they thought silence would just be better. Lyndsey didn't know.

Either way, she was happy for the silence.

No one had asked her any questions yet. Darwin's death was still taking time to sink in, for Alex especially, which meant that no one asked her anything about Shaw. They would though, soon. Until then, Lyndsey tried to tune out any distractions, focusing on Shaw's words.

Was he right? Would all humans treat mutants the way _those ones _did? She was fighting on the human side, but once the war was over, would they turn on her? It was times like this when she missed her family. Would they approve of her decision, or would they want vengeance? What would Aiden think? Would he be with Lyndsey or against her decision?

In her thoughts, she didn't see car pull up and Charles, Erik and Moria climb out, the horror on their faces was clear. Moria went over to talk with some agents but Charles and Erik came straight over to the mutants, the former to his sister.

"Raven," He said, pulling her into a hug. "We've made arrangements for you to be taken home," He said solemnly after her released Raven.

"We're not going home," Sean stated.

"What?"

"He's not going back to prison," Sean said, pointing at Alex. "And she's not going to from wherever the hell she came from."

Lyndsey frowned.

"What?"

Sean just looked at her, matter-of-factly.

"You're really bad at pinball, you carry around a backpack everywhere and you're only concern is your brother's safety. And that's not even mentioning what Shaw said! There's something you're not telling us."

"No there's not…" She muttered, fiddling with her sleeves.

"Yes, there is," Alex said, speaking for the first time since the night before. His voice was heavy and low. "You somehow knew Shaw, and your backstory doesn't add up."

"Just drop it, will you?" Lyndsey said forcefully, standing up as she did. "You don't know anything about me. Secrets are secret for a reason, you know."

All the mutants present seemed shocked at Lyndsey's sudden outburst. To them, she seemed so quiet, unable to hurt a fly. Her harsh words brought the matter to a stop, and Alex scowled at her. Lyndsey looked equally annoyed and kicked a piece of debris with her shoe.

"Anyway," Sean said slowly, looking from Lyndsey to Alex. "We're not going."

"He killed Darwin," Alex said darkly, looking down into his hands. Lyndsey did feel sorry for Alex, but his statements still angered her. It was her life, why did he care?

"All the more reason for you to leave," Charles said. "This is over."

"Darwin's dead, Charles," Raven pointed out, sad look in her eye. "And we can't even bury him."

"We can avenge him," Erik said, speaking for the first time. His words were steady and thought out, not a rush of the moment decision.

Charles looked at him, partly exasperated, partly surprised. The look in his eye told Lyndsey that he didn't want to get the young mutants involved, because of the inevitable fight that was coming. "Erik, can I speak to you alone for a minute?"

Lyndsey saw the two speak in hushed tones, but knew what they were discussing. Erik wanted vengeance against Shaw, whereas as much as Charles wanted to stop Shaw, he didn't want to endanger anyone.

"So, Lyndsey, are you going to talk to us about what happened in there?" Sean asked, looking over at the brunette. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, even Erik and Charles'. She kept her head held high though.

"When I am ready to talk about, then I will," She said, avoiding eye contact. "You all have secrets, I have mine."

She got up and walked over towards a bench further away from the group.

"Just because you have a dark past, doesn't mean you can't have a bright future," Hank said, causing Lyndsey to turn back around and face them.

"You have no idea how dark my past is," She said slowly. "And trust me, my future doesn't look any brighter."

* * *

_**Please review!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Thank you for all the lovely reviews and support! Always appreciated! Hope you all like this chapter, it's a back story chapter! Please read and review!**_

* * *

_When the tears come streaming down your face  
When you lose something you can't replace  
When you love someone but it goes to waste  
Could it be worse?_

_- Fix You, Coldplay, X&Y_

* * *

_**Chapter Five**_

_"Mum! Robbie won't give me back my sheet music!" Lyndsey shouted. The twelve year old ran after the fifteen year old, who had a wide smirk on his face. She chased him down the stairs, through the foyer and into the living room where eleven year old Jemima sat with and eight year old Tora, playing a game of Scrabble on the floor._

_"Mum's in the garden, Lynds," Jemima said, pushing her blonde hair out of her face. Tora nodded._

_Lyndsey did not look much like her two sisters. While they both had long, golden blonde hair like their mother, Lyndsey had light brown hair. Lyndsey and Jemima both had the same blue eyes, but Tora had chocolate brown eyes, like Aiden and John. Robbie looked a lot like Lyndsey, with the same brown hair and blue eyes. The only major difference was that Robbie was a lot taller than Lyndsey, mostly due to his age. However, this meant Lyndsey was at a disadvantage, especially at a time like this._

_"Try and get it then, Lyndsey!" Robbie grinned, holding the sheet music high above his head, where Lyndsey could not get it. She jumped up and down to try and reach it but Robbie kept holding his hand up higher._

_Tora, the youngest Pryde child, got up and walked over to where Robbie and Lyndsey stood._

_"Robbie, give Lyndsey her sheet music back," She said sweetly._

_Robbie's eyes glazed over and his arm slowly fell down to where Lyndsey was stood, releasing the sheets of paper. Lyndsey grabbed them and pressed them to her chest tightly while Tora just grinned, showing the gaps where her baby teeth had fallen out. She turned on her heel and sat back down. Robbie suddenly shook his head, like he had just woken up. His eyes went from his hand, to Lyndsey, and then to Tora._

_"Tora! Dad said you weren't allowed to use your power on me anymore!" He said angrily._

_"Well, Dad's not going to find out," A voice from the doorframe behind them said. All the children turned to look at John, the eldest child, who was leaning against the frame. "Unless you want me to tell him about how you used your powers at school the other day to win that game of football."_

_Robbie scowled but the girls simply grinned._

_"John!" Tora exclaimed, running over to the seventeen year old. He picked her up and swung her round while she giggled. _

_"And how's my favourite sister?" He grinned._

_"Hey!" Lyndsey and Jemima cried. John laughed._

_"Okay, then, my favourite eight year old then?"_

_Tora began to talk to John about school, while Robbie sat down in the armchair and flipped open a book. Lyndsey walked through the living room, into the sunroom. Light filtered in from the many windows in the room and Lyndsey ran up the screen door which lead into the garden._

_"Mum!" She called. Victoria Pryde knelt in the vegetable patch, tending to the carrots that were growing._

_"Yes, Lyndsey?" She said, looking up from the patch. Her blonde hair was pinned back into a pretty bun, with a few strands framing her face. She wore a battered old apron over her blue patterned house dress, protecting the clothes from the dirt._

_"It's nearly five o'clock," Lyndsey said, looking at her watch._

_"Is it? I must have lost track of the time," Victoria said, getting up and brushing the dirt off her knees. "Come on then, your father will be home soon."_

_She held out her hand for Lyndsey, who took it straight away. They walked towards the screen door but Victoria stopped just before they reached it. She turned and looked at Lyndsey._

_"Is everything alright, Lyndsey?" She asked._

_"Everything's fine, Mum," Lyndsey said, a bit unsurely though. Victoria, however, knew something was wrong. She sat down on the steps and patted the step for Lyndsey to sit down._

_"Sweetheart, I know something's wrong," She said._

_"Because of your power," Lyndsey mumbled. Victoria frowned._

_"No, because I know my children. I know you. What are you worried about?"_

_"What if, what if Robbie's right? What if I just embarrass myself at the recital?"_

_"Lyndsey, you know Robbie only says those things to annoy you. You will be fine. You've played the piano longer than you've been able to let anything Robbie says get to you. You will be great in the recital," Victoria said. Lyndsey looked up uncertainly._

_"Really?"_

_"Really," Victoria smiled. "Now, go organise your siblings. It's nearly supper time."_

_Lyndsey smiled and ran into the house. She faintly heard a 'no running inside' come from her mother but she ignored it. It wasn't like she was running that fast. She went upstairs first, and ran in to Aiden's room, throwing the door open and jumping on to his bed._

_"Come on, Aiden! Mum says its suppertime!" She cried._

_Aiden was sat on the other side of the room, reading a book. Her nine year old brother was the identical image of John, dark hair with a reddish tint, dark brown eyes and a tall stature. Although he was not as tall as Lyndsey yet, he was catching up. _

_Aiden's room, one of the smaller rooms, was at the front of the house. Light filtered in from the wide windows, Aiden's bed sat in the middle of the room, with his wardrobe and large bookshelf pushed against the wall. Aiden sat in the comfy armchair by the window, book resting on his lap. He smiled at Lyndsey as she belly flopped onto the bed._

_"Okay, Lynds. What was all the noise about?" He asked. _

_"Robbie, being the usual idiot he is, stole my sheet music when I was going to go practice," Lyndsey explained, looking up at the cream painted ceiling._

_"So, it was just Robbie being Robbie?"_

_"Yep."_

_"How'd you get the sheet music back?"_

_"Tora used her power on him. Then John came home and did the whole 'I'll tell Dad what you did thing' to home."_

_Aiden nodded._

_"I feel sorry for John, having to share a room with Robb," He said._

_"John and Robbie actually get on most of the time. And Robbie can actually be alright sometimes. Remember that time he all bought us ice cream?"_

_"Yeah, you've got a point."_

_"Anyway," Lyndsey said, standing up. "I have to go put my sheet music away. Don't want to lose it before next week."_

_Aiden nodded again and he too rose to his feet._

_"I'll tell Mum you'll be five minutes," He said. Lyndsey nodded and left the room._

_She walked across the landing to her room, passing her mother and father's room, and John and Robbie's room, as well as one of the bathrooms. Lyndsey shared a bedroom with Jemima, while Tora had the bedroom on the third floor in the attic, along with their father's study and a small playroom. Lyndsey and Jemima's room was at the back of the house, looking out over the garden. The walls were painted a pastel yellow colour, with large white curtains hanging either side of the window. The two beds, side by side against the wall, had the same colour bedding as the curtains did. The large wardrobe stood opposite it, with shelves and drawers for the two girls either side. Toys scattered the room, ranging from the doll house in the corner, the rocking horse by the window, to the various dolls and teddies on the beds._

_Lyndsey made her way to her bed, which was closest to the wide window. She placed the sheet music at the foot of her bed, picked up her favourite doll and sat on the window seat. She knew she was getting too old for toys and dolls but she wanted to make the most of her youth while she could. Outside, it was quickly getting dark, the nights were setting in earlier as winter was coming. This October was strange though. It was unusually cold and rainy, as well as darker throughout the day. _

_Lyndsey looked over her shoulder at the door, and turned back to the window. She closed her eyes, focusing on the future. Her parents did not like their children using their powers in public, but at home, they were free to be themselves. However, there was a strict rule that the children were not to use their powers on each other, but in circumstances like before, their parents did overlook it. Lyndsey screwed up her face in concentration, but could not see anything. While her siblings' powers were mostly physical, Lyndsey's was mental and harder to use._

_"Mum says you shouldn't try so hard," Jemima's voice said from behind her. Lyndsey's eyes snapped open and she spun round to face the blonde._

_"You know, it's rude to sneak up on people," Lyndsey said._

_Jemima shrugged, her blonde plait swaying as she did._

_"It's also rude to ignore your sister," She grinned. Jemima came and sat opposite Lyndsey, bring her knees up to her chest. "So, what's wrong?"_

_"Nothing," Lyndsey replied quickly, avoiding eye contact. Jemima raised an eyebrow._

_"Right, and I can't ride a bike," She said sarcastically. Jemima reached over and took Lyndsey's hand. The two girls had always been close, mostly because of their ages. "You can tell me"_

_Lyndsey sighed._

_"Something….dark's coming. Something bad. But I can't see what. I'm….I'm scared," She said, looking down at her hands._

_"Listen," Jemima said, making Lyndsey look up at her. "Whatever happens, happens for a reason. We can't change that. Everything….always works out the way it's supposed to."_

_Lyndsey still looked a bit unsure. Jemima smiled reassuringly and looked out the window. _

_"Look at the flowers, Lyndsey," She said. She twirled her hand and the flowers in the garden grew, twisting up the side of the house, up to the window. Jemima reached out, picked a flower and pushed it into Lyndsey's hair. She smiled, making Lyndsey smile too. "Now come on, Dad will be home soon."_

_Taking Lyndsey's hand, the two girls walked out of the room, Lyndsey still holding her doll. They walked down the staircase, past the sitting room door and through into the centre room of the house. Lyndsey let her hand slide over the keys of the piano, the two girls laughing at the sound the notes made. They walked into the dining room, where most of the family were already sat._

_Jack Pryde sat at the head of the table, back to the window. He was dressed smartly, having just returned from work. The seat to his left was empty, but in the seat to his right, sat John. Robbie sat next to John, talking with his brother and father about the recent football game at school. Aiden sat on the other side of Robbie, flicking through a book. Lyndsey went to sit in the seat to the right of her father, Jemima sitting in the seat next to her._

_"Hello girls," Jack said as the two sat down. "How was school?"_

_"Fine, Dad," Lyndsey smiled._

_"I learnt about the war today, Dad," Jemima said. "We're supposed to do a project about it, will you help me?"_

_Jack smiled solemnly_

_"Of course. What do you need to know?" He asked. Jemima flew in to talking about what her teacher had told her, talking animatedly about her ideas so far. Lyndsey smiled, but did not listen. Just as she was about to talk to John, Victoria appeared, carrying a large dish, with little Tora behind her who carried the bread board._

_"Smell's lovely, dear," Jack commented, making Victoria smile._

_"Well, I hope everyone's hungry, I made plenty. I know how much you all like lamb hotpot."_

_Tora sat down next to Jemima while Victoria sat at the bottom of the table. They said grace, and all began to eat. When Robbie went back for his fourth helping, Victoria sighed._

_"Honestly, I don't know where you put it all. You certainly didn't get that from me,"_

_They all laughed as Robbie grinned._

_"Don't listen to her son, there's nothing wrong with having a big appetite. Get that from my side of the family, you do," Jack said._

_"As well as never being able to fetch the newspaper in," Victoria smiled. Jack pretended look shocked while all the children giggled. Lyndsey looked from her mother to her father. Their love for one another was evident and everlasting. They had met each other, both being scared of their powers at the time. Though the war had meant they had to grow up quickly, they had never once stopped loving each other._

_A sharp rapping at the front door halted the conversations. All the children and Victoria looked up at Jack, who was frowning._

_"Expecting anyone, dear?" He asked Victoria._

_"No one. Are you?" She said. Jack shook his head. "Maybe we should leave it? We're in the middle of supper."_

_Another loud knock at the door caused Jack to stand up._

_"No, it sounds urgent. I'll go see who it is," He said, leaving the room. The children all exchanged confused glances. No one ever came round this late. They heard Jack open the door, a lot of shouting, followed by the slamming of the door and Jack running back into the room._

_"We have to get out of here!" He exclaimed._

_"What's going on?" Victoria said, rising to her feet. Jack ignored her._

_"John! Take Jem and Tora! Robbie, Lyndsey and Aiden are your responsibility!" He said, grabbing Victoria's hand. "They've found us…"_

_The breaking of glass spurred the Prdye's into action. John took Jemima's hand and picked up Tora, while Robbie grabbed Aiden's hand and, using his power of super speed, ran round the table, grabbing Lyndsey's hand. Loud footsteps echoed across the wooden floors of the foyer and shouting could be heard._

_"Let's go!" Jack exclaimed, ushering John and the younger girls out into the next room. Before he could do the same to the other children, a gunshot was fired, followed by an ear-piercing scream._

_"Victoria!" Jack shouted, falling to his knees. Victoria lay on the floor, blood flowing from the wound on her chest. Her eyes were vacant and a ghost of a smile was on her face._

_"Jack…." She moaned, before her hand dropped to the ground. Jack let out a wailing scream, which was quickly followed by Lyndsey's and Aiden's screams._

_"Mum!" Lyndsey cried._

_"Mummy!"_

_"We have to get out of here," Robbie said, with tears in his eyes. He pulled the two away, out of the dining room. They ran into the kitchen when Robbie stopped. "This way!" He exclaimed, dragging them towards the door that lead to the cellar. He led them down the dark stairs, careful not to trip over. Upstairs, the gunfire and screams could still me heard. Lyndsey whimpered and pulled Aiden closer to her._

_In the basement, Robbie led the two over to the far end, pushing old furniture out of the way. He pushed his younger siblings into the small alcove, before moving the furniture back into place._

_"Wait!" Lyndsey cried, pulling a crying Aiden closer to her. "Don't go!"_

_"Lyndsey, I promise, I'll be right back. We're going to get out of here, I just have to get the others."_

_"But-"_

_"Lyndsey! Please! Take care of Aiden! Don't leave this spot for any reason! Please!" Robbie exclaimed. "Please. I love you both," He said, kissing both of their foreheads before running back upstairs._

_Aiden sobbed harder, and although Lyndsey too wanted to cry, she knew she had to be strong for Aiden._

_"Shh…Aiden, shhh," She whispered, trying to calm the nine year old down._

_"They killed Mum!" He cried, burying his face in her hair. Lyndsey stoked his back, and looked up towards where Robbie had ran to._

_"Everything's going to be okay, Aiden," Lyndsey said softly. "Robbie will come back with Dad and John and Jem and Tora and we'll go somewhere nice and warm and safe-"_

_She was cut off by more gunfire and the sound of a large blast. Tears swelled in her eyes and she heard a splitting scream that shook her to the core. Aiden wailed even more._

_"Aid, we have to be quiet. It's like…It's like hide and seek. We can't be found," Lyndsey said quickly._

_Footsteps echoed on the wooden floors above and Lyndsey heard the vague mumble of a voice. The door to the basement flew open and men with guns ran down the stairs. Lyndsey gasped silently, and both she and Aiden edge further into the alcove. A single set of footsteps came up to where the alcove was and both siblings held their breath._

_"I know you're in there. Come out now and I'll let you live," A cold, harsh voice said. "Both of you."_

_Lyndsey and Aiden exchange looks and slowly Lyndsey rose to her feet, as did Aiden. They never let go of each other's hands. The man, clearly the leader, looked down at them, smiling wickedly. His hair was jet black, his skin a powdery white shade and his eyes like an abyss, endless and dark._

_"Hello, children. My name is Mr_ _Atkinson. Now, you're going to come with me. If you do not come willingly, we will use force." At this, one of the men cocked his gun and aimed it at the two children. They gasped, clinging to one another. _

_"Now, now, Millstone, we don't want to scare the children. Come now and I'll even let you pack a bag. It's going to be a long journey."_

_He walked towards the stairs, beckoning for them to follow. They clung to each other like glue, scared to let go. They walked up the stairs, and into the kitchen. Lyndsey walked in first and tried to shield Aiden from the sight which met her._

_Robbie, their older brother Robbie, lay dead on the kitchen floor. Blood flowed from the multiple bullet wounds on his body and his head was rolled to the side, with sticky blood covering his face. Mr Atkinson stood next to the children and grinned._

_"His _mutation _meant that it was harder to contain him. So, he had to go. He had to choice, but choose death instead. But we got him, didn't we Thompson?" He said to one of the thugs but Lyndsey and Aiden did not listen. Their brother lay dead on the floor. Their brother, who just an hour previous was teasing Lyndsey over sheet music._

_They shuffled past the body, trying not to step in the blood. In the dining room, their mother lay, still riddled with bullets. But this time, little Tora and Jemima lay next to her. Tora was sprawled over their mother's corpse, as though she was protecting her. A single bullet wound to her head was what killed her. Next to her, Jemima lay._ _The little blonde haired girl lay on the floor, the crimson blood from her chest wound staining the floor a horrid colour._

_"Those two," Atkinson said, "Tried to fight back. Thought their filthy mother was still alive. The little one tried to use her mind games on us but we got her."_

_Again, Lyndsey and Aiden said nothing. Both were weeping now, at the sight of half their family massacred. Atkinson seemed unmoved by the siblings' sorrow, instead just pushed them on. In the living room, John was eagle spread in a pool of his own blood that flowed from his head wound. Again, Atkinson commented on him and again the siblings ignored him._

_The foyer was the hardest room to face._

_Bloody footprints stained the floor an awful crimson, leading to different parts of the house. But that wasn't the worst part of it. At the foot of the stairs, lay Jack Pryde. Only he was not quite dead yet._

_"Lyndsey…." He gasped. "Aiden….."_

_"Dad!" Lyndsey wailed. The two remaining Pryde siblings ran over to their father._

_"Daddy…" Aiden cried, tears streaming down his face._

_"Be strong, children…." Jack moaned. "Don't…waste your lives…."_

_He reached in to his pocket, his palms bloody, and pulled out his arm dog tags. He pressed them into Lyndsey's hand. "Take care of your brother…."_

_"I will, Daddy," She said through tears. _

_"Aiden….my son….Remember what I told you?"_

_"Our family is our pride," Aiden recited, tears dropping onto the ground. Jack smiled._

_"I love you both…."_

_Atkinson stalked over. _

_"Come on now, Jack. Even in death, you take forever," He said darkly. Jack chuckled slightly._

_"You know, Nathaniel? I never did like you. You were always a cowardly little man."_

_Atkinson's face turned sour._

_"You know what, children?" He said, pulling out a handgun. "I don't think I'll let you pack a bag now."_

_He aimed the gun and Jack's head, and although the children shrieked and screamed for him not to, he pulled the trigger._

* * *

Lyndsey awoke with a start. It took a minute for her to properly wake up, and another minute to work out where she was. The back of the army truck was very squashed, with four other mutants packed in as well as Lyndsey. She was pressed up against Raven, with Sean on the other side of her. All of the mutants were asleep.

Lyndsey sighed with relief. It was just a dream.

"Bad dream?" A voice asked, startling her. She looked up to see Alex staring at her, arms folded across his chest.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to scare people?" Lyndsey asked, rubbing her eyes. Alex shrugged.

"Maybe. But you didn't answer my question. Did you have a nightmare?"

Lyndsey laughed bitterly.

"Yes, you could say that. Only, I have yet to wake up from this nightmare."

* * *

_**Please Review!**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey! I'm back! Just a quick update in passing, I've been so busy! For those who read my other story, hopefully I'll update soon. But, anyway, thank you for all the reviews on this story, as well as anyone who has fav'ed or follow'ed. It's good to know people are enjoying it! **

**Before you read the chapter though, I would like to ask if anyone has spotted the little X-men nods? There's a few, and there'll be another in this chapter (as well as a mention of a certain X-men). Also, I would like to ask for help on writing chapters, and the ideas behind them. **

**I know what I want to do for Days of Future past (if I get that far), but in the mean time, I would love if people told me what they want to see out of this story. Either write it in the reviews, or PM me! Thanks! Please read, enjoy and review!**

* * *

_I hope you know, I hope you know  
That this has nothing to do with you  
It's personal, myself and I  
We've got some straightenin' out to do  
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket  
But I've got to get a move on with my life  
It's time to be a big girl now  
And big girls don't cry_

_- Big Girls Don't Cry, Fergie, The Dutchess_

* * *

_**Chapter 6**_

"I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with….D," Sean said, grinning at the others.

The other mutants sighed, bored of the game. They had been in the back of the army van for hours, all night and well into the next day. Charles, Erik and Moria sat in the front, so were free from Sean's game caused by boredom. Hank was absorbed in a book, unaware to the world around him. That left Lyndsey, Alex and Raven to endure the torturous game that was 'I Spy'.

"Is it….Door?" Raven said in a bored tone, head resting on her hand. Alex rolled his eyes and laid back in his seat, arms folded across his body. Lyndsey just sighed and shook her head, equally as bored as the others.

"Nope," Sean replied. "Any other guesses?"

"Doofus?" Alex offered, smirking slightly. Lyndsey managed a small smile while Raven giggled.

"No," Sean said. "Do you give up?"

"Yes, Sean, we give up," Raven sighed, glad that it was over.

"Dog tags," Sean said simply.

"Dog tags?" Raven said incredulously.

"Dog tags," Sean repeated, nodding his head. "She's wearing them."

He pointed to Lyndsey who had shut her eyes.

"Why are you wearing dog tags?" Alex asked, causing Lyndsey to open her eyes. "You can't have been in the army."

"No, but I know someone who was," Lyndsey replied, not looking at him.

"Who?" Alex pushed. "Who do you know who was in the army?"

"Why do you want to know?" Lyndsey asked coolly. Alex simply shrugged.

"Just trying to make conversation," He replied. Lyndsey rolled her eyes and shut them again, in the attempt to block him out. This, however, did not stop Alex. He stood up, walked over to where Lyndsey was, and snatched the tags from her grip. Lyndsey's eyes snapped open and she shot up. Her head barely reached his shoulder but she stood tall, unintimidated by his height.

"Give them back!" She said dangerously. Alex just smirked and looked at the tag.

"'Jack Pryde'? Who's that? Your boyfriend?" Alex taunted.

"Alex…" Raven said, sensing Lyndsey's building anger.

"Give. Them. Back," She said dangerously, her eyes darkening.

"Or what?" Alex scoffed. He held them high over his head. "Go on then, try and get them."

Lyndsey's fists balled, and just as she was about to punch Alex in the gut, the van lurched to a stop. Both Lyndsey and Alex were unprepared of the change in velocity so lurched forwards, Lyndsey landing on top of Alex. They both groaned. Footsteps echoed outside of the van and the door swung open to reveal Charles and Erik.

"Pit stop," Charles said brightly. "Go get yourselves something to eat. We're not stopping long."

Lyndsey snatched the tags off of Alex, and stormed out of the van, but not before glowering at him. Raven smirked, as did Sean.

"For future references," Raven said, standing up. "I wouldn't piss Lyndsey off. She may be small, but she can be scary."

Lyndsey made a beeline for the toilets, ignoring anyone she passed and the vague shouts of Raven. She was furious right now and needed to be alone. The restrooms were empty, so Lyndsey stalked over to the sink, resting her hands on the basin's sides. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes but she would not let them. She was strong. She breathed deeply, trying to calm herself down.

_Stupid Alex, _she thought. _I wish I could punch him right in his stupid face, the…stupid pants! Okay, not the best insult you've came up with, Lyndsey. _Her hands gripped the basin tighter and she realise the dog tags were still in her hand. Holding them up, she looked at the engravings. _Jack A. Pryde. 1ST Air Force._ _Salem, Mass. _What would her father think of her now? Was she doing the right thing, protecting people who could possibly harm other mutants and herself?

In her thoughts, Lyndsey did not hear the restroom door open and Raven walk in, her heeled boots clicking against the floor.

"Everything alright?" Raven asked, startling Lyndsey who jumped up in shock. She turned to face the blonde hair girl, tucking the tags into her pocket.

"Just Alex being a prick, that's all," She said bitterly. Raven smiled sympathically. She put an arm over Lyndsey's shoulder, squeezing her reassuringly.

"Alex is just a dickhead," Raven agreed. "Just ignore him."

"He doesn't know anything about me…" Lyndsey mumbled, eyes trained to the floor.

"You don't know anything about him, either," Raven pointed out. "I think, it's that were all just curious about you. You don't talk about yourself much."

"It's better that way," Lyndsey sighed. "Because, trust me, you wouldn't like what you hear."

It was Raven's turn to sigh. She took Lyndsey's hands and looked her in the eye.

"Listen," She said softly. "I know you've only know me for a few days, but we're friends. You can talk to me about anything, tell me anything. And I promise you, I will not judge you, or think of you any differently. You don't need to tell me straight away, but know that's I'm always here for you," Raven said. A few stray tears fell down Lyndsey's face and Raven brushed them away.

"Come here," Raven said, extending her arms. "Let's hug this out."

The two girls hugged, Raven rubbing Lyndsey's back reassuringly. After a minute they parted and smiled widely.

"Okay then, now that that's sorted, Charles told me to tell you that he's looking for you."

"Why is he looking for me?" Lyndsey asked curiously. Raven shrugged.

"Don't ask me, I'm just the messenger. Come on, I want to get some ice cream."

The two girls exited the restroom and went into the little shop next to the petrol station. Moria was outside, filling the van up with gas. She waved at the girls as they went inside. The door dinged as they stepped into the small shop. Erik was stood by the magazine rack, flicking through the day's newspaper. Sean, Hank and Alex milled over by the sweet stand, looking at the sweets on sale. When Lyndsey walked in, Alex looked over to her, but he quickly avoided eye contact with her after she glared at him. Raven went over to join them, while Lyndsey stood by the door unsurely.

"Lyndsey?" Charles' voice echoed from behind her. Lyndsey turned and smiled up at Charles as he stood before her.

"You wanted to talk to me about something?" She asked politely.

"Yes, yes I do," He said, looking over his shoulder at the others, who were looking over at the two. "Let's discuss this outside."

He led her out of the door and round to the side of the building, where the pay phones were. The main road was next to them, the noise from passing cars meant that they would not be over heard.

"So, what is it?" Lyndsey smiled.

"Your brother, Aiden. How old is he?" Charles asked curiously.

"Aiden? He's fourteen," Lyndsey said unsurely. "Why?"

"You say he has trouble controlling his powers?"

"Yes…"

"I was thinking, if you want him to, he can come with us. I'm going to try and teach you all how to use your mutations, both safely and effectively. If you brother has trouble controlling his mutation, I can help him."

"I don't what him involved in anything dangerous…."

Charles held up his hand, stopping Lyndsey.

"I promise you, although he would be training with you and the other mutants, he would not be put in any situation where he would be in danger."

Lyndsey was silent for a moment, contemplating what to do.

"You…swear he wouldn't be in any kind of danger?"

"I swear," Charles replied.

"Then okay. Aiden can come train with us," Lyndsey said. Charles smiled.

"Excellent. Where about did you say he is?" Charles asked.

"Washington," Lyndsey replied.

"We can stop by and pick him up-" Charles began but Lyndsey cut him off.

"I get him by myself," She insisted. Charles raised an eyebrow in question. "He…doesn't take to big groups. He'll feel more reassured by me just going myself."

Charles nodded, a bit confused and unsurely.

"Okay then, we can stop at Washington on our way to our destination. Come on now, we don't want to leave the others waiting."

…..

Lyndsey smiled as looked at the cream bungalow with a slanted slate roof. The stone pathway twisted from the sidewalk up to the front door, through the green front garden. Lyndsey had made Charles and the others drop her off a few blocks back, refusing to let anyone come with her. She had heard Alex mutter some snide remark about 'her boyfriend' but had ignored him. She was the bigger person. However, it didn't stop her from aiming a big kick at his shin on her exit from the van.

Lyndsey walked up the path to the front door and rang the bell. She fiddled with her sleeves, slightly nervous. The door opened, revealing a blonde haired woman in her mid-twenties.

"Lyndsey!" She cried. "It's so good to see you!" The woman pulled Lyndsey into a hug, which Lyndsey quickly accepted.

"It's good to see you too, Ms Maximoff," Lyndsey smiled.

"How many times, Lyndsey?" The woman said, pulling out of the hug. "It's Magda."

"Sorry," Lyndsey said. "How's little Peter?"

"Growing, and quickly at that. I swear, he's grown a good couple of inches since your last visit. And he's such a fast runner now, beat all the other children in sports day…"

Lyndsey laughed and Magda beckoned her into the house.

"How's that little brother of mine?" Lyndsey asked. "He has been good, hasn't he?"

"Good as gold," Magda replied. "Peter absolutely adores him, especially since Aiden taught him how to swim. Come! Come, sit down."

They moved into the living room where a silver haired five year old was playing with a train set. When he saw Lyndsey, his eyes brightened and he ran over.

"Lyndsey!" He exclaimed. "You came to play!"

"Sorry kiddo, I can't stay and play," Lyndsey smiled sadly. "How about, you go and find Aiden? I need to talk to him and because you're a big boy, I trust you to go find him."

Peter nodded furiously, rushing out of the room, leaving a flutter of pages in his wake.

"What am I going to do with him?" Magda smiled, shaking her head. Lyndsey's attention was drawn to the TV, which was giving and update on the missile crisis. "Lyndsey? Is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything's fine. Listen, I know it's sudden, but I'm going somewhere, and Aiden needs to come with me."

Magda looked from Lyndsey to the TV, which was blaring away.

"This is something to do with your powers, isn't it?" She asked quietly. Lyndsey sighed.

"Yes. Look, I can't say much, but please, you have to trust me."

"Will the two of you be safe?"

Lyndsey paused for a minute.

"Aiden will be, for definite."

"But what about you?" Magda asked. When Lyndsey did not reply, Magda sighed. "Lyndsey, I know you. You'd do anything for anyone and not stop for a second to think about yourself. Please, promise be you'll be careful. I can't imagine what Aiden would do if anything happened to you."

Lyndsey turned to face Magda.

"I can't promise I'll survive, but I promise I will try my hardest to. But you have to promise me something. If anything does happen to me, you'll take care of Aiden."

Magda smiled solemnly.

"I don't need to promise that, I'd do it anyway. The two of you are special, I'd do anything for you both."

Lyndsey smiled and just as she was about to reply, the sound of footsteps could be heard and Peter appeared on Lyndsey's lap.

"I beat you, Aiden!" He shouted. Just then, a tall fourteen year old with brown hair came running through the door.

"Okay, Peter, you beat me," He said, panting, his hand resting on his knees as he caught his breath. He looked up and his face lit up. "Lyndsey!"

Aiden ran over and through his arms around his older, but smaller, sister.

"Aiden!" Lyndsey cried, throwing her free arm around Aiden's shoulders. "Oh, I missed you!"

Magda looked over at the sibling's embracing and decided they needed some privacy. Against his protests, she picked up Peter and left the siblings to talk.

"What brings you here?" Aiden asked. "Did you find them?"

"Yes, I found them. That's why I'm here," Lyndsey explained. "He can help us. He, all of them, have powers like us! He says he can help us use and control them. Isn't that great?"

Aiden looked a bit wary.

"Are you sure? That's what-"

"I'm positive," Lyndsey interrupted. "Trust me, Aiden, he can help."

"Is he outside?" Aiden asked, looking out of the window.

"No, I didn't want them here. I knew how you would react…."

Aiden sighed.

"You know why I do though. To keep us safe."

Lyndsey nodded.

"Since when did you get so smart?" She joked, causing Aiden to playfully push her.

"Come on, you've got to help me pack!"

…..

Alex was in a bad mood. Not only had everyone seemed to turn against him, he now had a big blue bruise on his shin. Who knew someone that little could kick as hard as that? Now, he had an aching shin and everyone was ignoring him. But it wasn't just his fault! Everyone had wanted to know more about this mysterious Lyndsey, he was just the first one to act.

Lyndsey. Where should he start? No one knew anything about her. Not even her last name. All they knew about her was her power, her age, and that she had a younger brother. Hank did say that she had said she was from Salem but even that seemed like a lie, especially since Charles and Erik found her in Michigan and they were now in Washington, looking for Lyndsey's brother.

Alex hadn't meant for the thing to go as far as it had. He thought Lyndsey would see it as a joke and laugh about it, not fly into a rage and storm off. Although, even Sean agreed that she had over reacted. It wasn't that they weren't friends with Lyndsey, it was just that she seemed a bit…weird. Well, weird was the wrong word to use since most humans saw mutants as weird.

Lyndsey was just…different. Her story didn't add up. She acted differently to the others. She was that bad at pinball. No seventeen year old was _that _bad at pinball! It was also her reaction to the other night. While Raven and Angel had been fully crying, Lyndsey seemed mostly unaffected by the numerous deaths and dead bodies that surrounded her. And that backpack. What was so special about the backpack?

Deep in thoughts, Alex did not see Lyndsey walk up to the truck, accompanied by a tall, dark haired boy. Charles was chatting away to him about mutations so he was clearly a mutant. Lyndsey looked happier than Alex had ever seen her, smiling widely with her arm slung over the boy's shoulder. Noticing this, Alex decided to mess with Lyndsey, in payback for his shin injury.

"Who's that? Your boyfriend?" Alex teased, causing Lyndsey to glare at him and the boy to frown. Everyone else fell into a silence, their gaze going from Lyndsey and the boy to Alex.

"No," Lyndsey shot back, the anger evident in her eyes.

"I'm her brother," The boy said, matter of factly. "I'm Aiden Pryde."

Alex felt the colour drain from his face, as did some of the other mutants faces.

"What did you say your last name was?" Alex asked, eyes widening.

"Pryde. I'm Aiden and she's Lyndsey Pryde. What's it to you?"

Alex looked from the boy to Lyndsey, who stood there with a defensive look on her face.

"But you- You! You never said what your last name was!" Alex muttered. Lyndsey shrugged.

"You never asked," She said. "Summers, met my brother."

* * *

_**Please review!**_


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